Dear Congressman Etheridge

Yesterday I sent the following letter to the office of my opponent, Congressman Bob Etheridge:

Dear Congressman Etheridge,

Last week, you mailed (and emailed) letters and newsletters from your Congressional office to voters across the district. In every way these mailings resembled typical campaign ads, except they were paid for by taxpayers and not by your campaign.

In the text of one pamphlet you mailed you told voters you are “reducing the deficit and restoring budget discipline” in Washington.: How much did this mailing (and your emailings) cost taxpayers? How many people received the mailings and emails? How can you explain writing taxpayers that you are “reducing the deficit” when you are wasting thousands of dollars of their money on political mailings to help you get reelected?

Congressman, you have over a million dollars in your campaign account, much of it donated by unions and Wall Street special interests. Why didn’t you have your campaign pay for your political ads — instead of sticking the taxpayers with the bill?

Sincerely,

Renee Ellmers

I have not yet received a response to my question about how much it cost taxpayers for Bob Etheridge to mail claims that he is “restoring budget discipline” to his constituents. : But in addition to the cost of the mailing (and emailing) last week, there are some real problems with the content.: Last week I addressed some of the specific claims in the Etheridge mailing, and today address his more general claim that,: “The issues that matter most to North Carolinians are Bob Etheridge’s priorities.”

Renee Ellmers is the Republican candidate running to unseat incumbent Bob Etheridge in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District. She is a nurse, a businesswoman, and a mom. You can find more information about her campaign at Renee for Congress.com.